Cowboys notes: Team’s nine wins most since 2009

Tonight’s win gave the Cowboys a 9-4 record in 2014 and surpassed Dallas’ eight total wins of the last three seasons (2011-13) and marked the most wins since the 2009 squad boasted 11. This is the first time since 1993 – eighth time overall - that the team has been 9-4

· Tonight’s victory marked Dallas’ sixth straight win on the road in 2014, and seventh overall consecutive win on the road dating back to last season at Washington (12/22/13). It is the longest road win streak since a 10-game road win streak that began in 2006 at Arizona (11/12) through 2007 at Carolina (12/22). Dallas is the only unbeaten team on the road this season

· The win also snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bears and marked the first win against Chicago since 2007 (9/23)

· The Cowboys scored on six consecutive offensive possessions tonight, the longest streak of consecutive scoring drives since they had five in a row against Denver in 2013:

Date Opp Consec. Scores

12/4/14 CHI 6(TD,TD,TD,TD,TD,FG)

10/6/13 DEN 5(FG,TD,TD,TD,TD)

Dallas finished today’s game seven-of-14 on third down, a 50% conversion rate. It is the eighth time this season that the Cowboys offense has converted 50% or more of their third downs and with the victory tonight the Cowboys are now 7-1 when they convert at least half of their third down tries. Already this season, Dallas has recorded the most games in which they converted 50% or more of their third downs since they had nine in 2006.

Year 50%+ 3rd Down G Season Ending %

2014 8 ?

2013 3 35.0%

2012 6 43.9%

2011 3 39.4%

2010 4 40.8%

2009 6 40.6%

2008 6 42.9%

2007 6 42.2%

2006 9 48.8%

The Dallas defense was stout in the first half of tonight’s game against the Bears, allowing only four rushing yards on seven carries. The Bears rushing output represents the lowest first half rushing total against the Cowboys since October 3, 1993 when the Green Bay Packers were held to three first half rushing yards. It is also only the fifth time in Jerry Jones’ tenure as owner of the Cowboys that the defense has held an opponent to single-digit rushing yards in the first half:

Date Opp Opp 1st Half Rush Yards

10/3/93 GB 3

12/4/14 CHI 4

10/5/03 ARI 5

9/22/13 STL 5

10/9/05 PHI 8

COLE BEASLEY

· Cole Beasley caught three passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns tonight. His two scoring grabs marked his first career multi-touchdown game and gave him three touchdowns on the season to establish a career-best

DEZ BRYANT

· Dez Bryant had six receptions for 82 yards in tonight’s game

· Bryant’s six receptions receptions gave him 366 for his career to pass Bob Hayes (365) for seventh on the club’s all-time receptions list

· Bryant’s 82 yards gave him 1,034 on the season. It marks the 31st time in team history that a player has reached 1,000 yards in a season, 25th overall season the Cowboys have boasted a 1,000-yard receiver and third consecutive season (2012-14). Individually, this is Bryant’s third overall 1,000-yard season to tie for third in franchise history:

Dallas Cowboys 1,000-yard Receiving Seasons

Player Seasons

Michael Irvin 7

Jason Witten 4

Tony Hill 3

Terrell Owens 3

Dez Bryant 3

· Bryant’s 1,000-yard season is also his third consecutive to tie for second in team history:

Dallas Cowboys Consecutive 1,000-yard Receiving Seasons

Player Consec. Seasons

Michael Irvin 5 (1991-95)

Terrell Owens 3 (2006-08)

Dez Bryant 3 (2012-14)

· By reaching 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season, Bryant becomes the second Dallas Cowboy (Terrell Owens) to post three overall and three consecutive 1,000-yard and 10 touchdown seasons. Bob Hayes is the only other Cowboy to do it more than once:

1,000-Yard and 10 TD Receiving Seasons – Dallas Cowboys

Player Total Consec. Years

Terrell Owens 3 3 2006-08

Dez Bryant 3 3 2012-14

Bob Hayes 2 2 1965-66

Frank Clarke 1 1962

Tony Hill 1 1979

Michael Irvin 1 1995

Miles Austin 1 2009

· Bryant’s three consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns also ties for sixth all-time in league history:

1,000-Yard and 10 TD Receiving Seasons – NFL

Player Consec. Seasons Years

Marvin Harrison 8 1999-2006

Jerry Rice 7 1989-95

Cris Carter 5 1995-99

Lance Alworth 4 1963-66

Randy Moss 4 1998-2001

Carl Pickens 3 1994-96

Sterling Sharpe 3 1992-94

Terrell Owens 3 2000-02

Terrell Owens 3 2006-08

Dez Bryant 3 2012-14

BARRY CHURCH

· Barry Church blocked an extra point attempt in the fourth quarter to mark the first of his career and first time that’s happened since Greg Ellis had one at Philadelphia (12/19/04)

· DeMarco Murray had a career-high 32 rushing attempts for 179 yards – second-most of his career - with one touchdown. He also caught a career-best nine passes for 49 yards

· Murray’s 41 overall touches (31 rush; nine receptions) are a career-high and the second-most in a single game in team history. Emmitt Smith had a franchise-best 42 touches (32 rushes; 10 receptions) at the N.Y. Giants (1/2/94)

· Amongst team leaders in single-season rushing yards, DeMarco Murray (1,606) passes Emmitt Smith’s 1,484 total in 1994, Smith’s 1993 total of 1,486 yards, Herschel Walker’s 1,514 yards in 1988 and Smith’s 1,563 yards in 1991 for the fourth-most rushing yards in a single-season in team history:

Dallas Cowboys Single Season Rushing Yards

Player Yards Year

Emmitt Smith 1,773 1995

Emmitt Smith 1,713 1992

Tony Dorsett 1,646 1981

DeMarco Murray 1,606 2014

Emmitt Smith 1,563 1991

Herschel Walker 1,514 1988

Emmitt Smith 1,486 1993

Emmitt Smith 1,484 1994

· Murray’s 1,606 yards through the first 13 games of the season are the most in team history and the 10th-most in NFL history:

Dallas Cowboys Most Individual Rushing Yards Through Games 1-13

Player Yards Year

DeMarco Murray 1,606 2014

Emmitt Smith 1,494 1995

Tony Dorsett 1,331 1981

Emmitt Smith 1,309 1992

Emmitt Smith 1,298 1994

Most Individual Rushing Yards Through Games 1-13, NFL History

Player Yards Year

Walter Payton 1,805 1977

O.J. Simpson 1,803 1973

O.J. Simpson 1,760 1975

Jim Brown 1,738 1963

Terrell Davis 1,654 1998

Terrell Davis 1,647 1997

Eric Dickerson 1,643 1984

Chris Johnson 1,626 2009

Jamal Lewis 1,622 2003

DeMarco Murray 1,606 2014

· By rushing for 179 yards, Murray extended his career-best for most 100-yard games in a single season to 11 to tie Emmitt Smith’s 1995 total for the most in a single-season in team history:

Dallas Cowboys Career 100-Yard Rushing Games – Single Season

Player Games Year

Emmitt Smith 11 1995

DeMarco Murray 11 2014

Tony Dorsett 9 1981

Emmitt Smith 9 1999

· Murray logged one rushing touchdown to tie his previous career-best of nine from last season

· Murray had 49 receiving yards to establish a career-high with 392, surpassing his previous career-best of 350 set last season

· Murray made a career-high nine receptions to tie last season’s career-high of 53

TONY ROMO

· Tony Romo completed 21-of-26 passes (80.8%) for 205 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 138.0 quarterback rating